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zhibr t1_j4kr15c wrote

Reply to comment by contractualist in Democracy is Only a Means to an End (Examining the Inherent Political Authority of Democracy) by contractualist

Aren't you conflating moral authority and political authority?

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contractualist OP t1_j4krvf1 wrote

Good pick up and I should clarify. The argument I make in my substack argues that political authority requires moral authority.

Basically it’s: reason>moral principles of social contract> constitution> formal legal rules.

If you have any questions regarding this argument, I’d be happy to address them here and in future posts.

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zhibr t1_j4lth5n wrote

So I assume political authority and legitimacy are somewhat equivalent here.

You are talking about legitimacy as a philosophical term (some kind of objective legitimacy, similar to universal morality), rather than empirical (i.e. whether people factually behave in a way that makes ruling/governing possible)? If so, what is the difference between moral and political authority?

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